Inference (authors perspective) questions RC

JMPlaw19

Does anyone happen to have any tips for these types of questions? Currently its what I repeatedly get wrong in Reading Comp, and leads me to getting 2-3 wrong per section. Any advice that may be helpful specifically for this RC question stem would be really helpful, thanks!

daliaglomeli

Inference questions are usually harder and rely a lot more on your understanding of the passage. For this question type it's important to reflect on the word choice of the author to key you in on their stance. There is usually a general stance that may be emphasized on a particular paragraph I would try to hone in on the degree of the authors opinion. That should at least help you eliminate contenders quite easily. Good luck!

ledkarly

Really understand the tone of the passage. Does the author agree, disagree, how strong? (use the language she/he uses). Eliminate choices based on this. Then find evidence that can prove the AC.

Hopefully this helps!

clear227

Inference questions are always based on specific sentences within the passage. Throughout any passage there are anywhere from 1 to 4 sentences that are clearly "author's POV". They are often subtle. For example, consider this made up sentence,

"Mary Maybeck was solely responsible for advancing this worker's movement, thereby making her one of the most innovative lawyers of all time."

The author doesn't say "I think Mary Maybeck was great!" But when you get an author's POV question, you should refer back to sentences like this.

A sample question could be:

The author's feelings about Mary Maybeck are:

a) reverent
b) scornful
c) neutral
d) amused
e) critical

The answer is (a), because they explicitly call her "one of the most innovative lawyers of all time."

JMPlaw19

@clear227 said:
Inference questions are always based on specific sentences within the passage. Throughout any passage there are anywhere from 1 to 4 sentences that are clearly "author's POV". They are often subtle. For example, consider this made up sentence,

"Mary Maybeck was solely responsible for advancing this worker's movement, thereby making her one of the most innovative lawyers of all time."

The author doesn't say "I think Mary Maybeck was great!" But when you get an author's POV question, you should refer back to sentences like this.

A sample question could be:

The author's feelings about Mary Maybeck are:

a) reverent
b) scornful
c) neutral
d) amused
e) critical

The answer is (a), because they explicitly call her "one of the most innovative lawyers of all time."

Thank you! Going to try specifically highlighting POV sentences to see if it improves my accuracy. Usually I mess up when it asks for the authors POV in a specific scenario or situation